NAIROBI (Xinhua) --Kenya women’s football team head coach
David Ouma has warned rivals at the Africa Nations Cup
finals of never underrating Kenya’s ability.

The Africa
Women’s Nations Cup finals start in Ghana from Nov. 17
to Dec. 1, which also serve as the African qualifiers to
the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The top three teams
will qualify for the World Cup to be held in France in
June next year.

Kenya face a
difficult task to navigate past defending champions
Nigeria and last tournament’s runners-up South Africa in
Pool B of the tournament, which also has Zambia.

“Let us not
only look at Nigeria. This is football and anyone can be
beaten. We have been given the lifeline to redeem
ourselves in the competition and I will not allow anyone
to look down upon us,” Ouma said here Monday.

Kenya
returned to the Africa Women’s Nations Cup finals, after
their debut in 2016, courtesy of an appeal they launched
against Equatorial Guinea, who had field a player from
Cameroon in their 3-2 win over Kenya in the qualifiers.

Confederations of Africa Football (CAF) has since
suspended Equatorial Guinea from the eight team
competition and reinstated Kenya.

“We have our
chance and this tournament is bigger than Nigeria team
alone. There are other six top African countries in
Ghana, so basically every team is a worthy opponent. But
I believe that with extensive preparation and a proper
mindset, we can pick at least a point from each team,”
said Ouma.

Hosts Ghana
were handed a tricky group as they were drawn against
giants Cameroon and Mali in Group A.

Ghana’s
Black Queens, who will based in the capital Accra, will
also take on Algeria following the draw for African
women’s flagship competition on Sunday night.

Title
holders Nigeria got what looks like a favorable group as
they will play South Africa, Zambia and Kenya in Group B
in the coastal city of Cape Coast.

Ouma warned
that more local players have moved abroad and gained
experience and will be expecting a better performance at
the highest stage.

“Two years
ago, Kenya lacked exposure and experience in women
football. That has since changed and today we have five
players plying their trade in European leagues.

They will
certainly impact positively to our game and bring in
leadership into the squad. I expect to start training on
Monday (Oct. 29),” he added.

The Black
Queens will play the opening match on Nov. 17 against
Algeria. Ghana will play Mali three days later before
wrapping up their group campaign against giants
Cameroon.

Nigeria’s
Super Falcons will open their campaign on Nov. 18 in
Cape Coast before tackling Zambia at the same venue
three days later. Nigeria, eight-time winners, will
complete their group phase matches with their clash with
Kenya on Nov. 24.

The top two
sides in the groups will progress to the semifinals.

.

EARLIER REPORT:

Kenya women’s football
team seeks funds ahead of Africa Cup tourney

By John Kwoba NAIROBI (Xinhua)
--Kenya risks missing out
from the Africa Women’s Nations Cup finals in Ghana next
month as it struggles to raise 430,000 U.S. dollars to
fund the trip.

The team,
which secured qualification to the premier continental
women’s football competition, courtesy of an appeal that
locked out Equatorial Guinea, had no budget for the
tourney and only got the nod to participate four days
ago.

Nick Mwendwa,
president of Football Kenya Federation, wants the
country’s parliament to fast track operationalize of the
Sports Fund, set up in 2016, so that the team can be
bankrolled from its proceeds.

The fund
draws its inflow from Sports Bookies and Lotteries but
has since its inception not been actualized.

“I am
appealing to parliament to clear the stumbling blocks
that are standing in the way of the operationalization
of the Sports Fund. This way, we can be able to raise
enough funding to see our national teams through our
international assignments,” Mwendwa said in Nairobi on
Tuesday.

The
eight-team Africa Women’s Nations Cup tournament is set
to kick off in Ghana on Nov. 17. It will be Kenya’s
second appearance at the competition following its debut
at the 2016 tournament in Cameroon.

“We took
part in the 2016 edition for the first time ever. Now,
the players are more experienced. I hope the government
will give the women’s team full support as it has done
with the senior men’s team Harambee Stars. I’m confident
that they will give a good account of themselves in
Ghana,” said Mwendwa.

The team
will move to training camp on Monday and will play two
friendly matches against Uganda before jetting out to
Ghana on Nov. 14.